Author: Haley Pham
Published: March 3, 2026 by Atria Books
Format: Kindle, 352 pgs
Genre: Romance
Blurb: Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up—best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence.
Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop—only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race.
As Blair’s path keeps crossing with Declan’s, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and sparks reignite. But could their future ever be free of their past?
Told in dual timelines that unravel the magic and pain of first love, Just Friends is a moving, romantic story about second chances, the weight of dreams, and finding your way back to the people who feel like home.
My Opinion: I completely understand why early readers were skeptical of this novel. When a social media influencer with millions of followers releases a debut novel, the publishing machine tends to roll out the red carpet, considering the built in audience, guaranteed sales, and a whole lot of optimism that the book will succeed, whether the writing is ready or not. And in this case, it feels like the industry took the easy road, assuming the platform would compensate for inexperience.
To be fair, the writing isn’t the worst I’ve come across. There are moments where the story finds its footing, but there are also places where a strong editorial hand was desperately needed. For instance, if Blair’s great aunt owned seven convenience stores in a tiny town, why is Blair working at the local coffee shop instead of one of the family businesses? And the repeated use of “Mhmm”, peppered through the dialogue like a nervous tic, should have been toned down long before the manuscript reached readers.
What really pulled me out of the story, though, was how often Blair seemed baffled by the most basic aspects of her own hometown. This is a girl who supposedly grew up in a quaint California beach community, yet she reacts to property values as if she’s been living under a rock for a decade. Those disconnects add up, and they make Blair feel oddly detached from the world she’s meant to inhabit.
Structurally, the book follows the familiar beats: the meet cute, the miscommunication, the slow burn second chance arc, the conflict, the tidy happily ever after. But the middle sags. It’s linear to a fault, with no subplot to keep the momentum going, and the pacing drags enough that I found myself wishing for anything—an unexpected twist, a side character with teeth—to break up the monotony. By the time the “six months later” epilogue arrived, it felt less like a natural conclusion and more like a last minute attempt to figure out how to wrap things up.
And that epilogue introduces its own head scratchers. Blair’s mother suddenly believes she can retire because her daughter has written a book that is being independently published, and decides to sell the stores. She also appears to have no idea how to run the business she has worked at for fifteen years. Who was scheduling employees while Lottie was dying? How did the shops function? These are the kinds of logic gaps that should have been caught long before publication. The book is free of spice and strong language. Though marketed as new adult, it reads much closer to young adult, aiming for readers looking for a gentler, simpler read, and who aren’t likely to question the mechanics too deeply.
Which brings me to the bigger question: how did this book land at number three on the NYT list? The answer is simple—sales volume, not literary merit. And now that the debut glow has worn off, I genuinely wonder how the author returns to her usual online presence. How does she critique or comment on books when she’s now on the other side of the equation?
Still, publishing a novel is no small feat, and congratulations are due. But once the shine fades and the novelty wears off, the real test begins: what comes next?
Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop—only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race.
As Blair’s path keeps crossing with Declan’s, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and sparks reignite. But could their future ever be free of their past?
Told in dual timelines that unravel the magic and pain of first love, Just Friends is a moving, romantic story about second chances, the weight of dreams, and finding your way back to the people who feel like home.
My Opinion: I completely understand why early readers were skeptical of this novel. When a social media influencer with millions of followers releases a debut novel, the publishing machine tends to roll out the red carpet, considering the built in audience, guaranteed sales, and a whole lot of optimism that the book will succeed, whether the writing is ready or not. And in this case, it feels like the industry took the easy road, assuming the platform would compensate for inexperience.
To be fair, the writing isn’t the worst I’ve come across. There are moments where the story finds its footing, but there are also places where a strong editorial hand was desperately needed. For instance, if Blair’s great aunt owned seven convenience stores in a tiny town, why is Blair working at the local coffee shop instead of one of the family businesses? And the repeated use of “Mhmm”, peppered through the dialogue like a nervous tic, should have been toned down long before the manuscript reached readers.
What really pulled me out of the story, though, was how often Blair seemed baffled by the most basic aspects of her own hometown. This is a girl who supposedly grew up in a quaint California beach community, yet she reacts to property values as if she’s been living under a rock for a decade. Those disconnects add up, and they make Blair feel oddly detached from the world she’s meant to inhabit.
Structurally, the book follows the familiar beats: the meet cute, the miscommunication, the slow burn second chance arc, the conflict, the tidy happily ever after. But the middle sags. It’s linear to a fault, with no subplot to keep the momentum going, and the pacing drags enough that I found myself wishing for anything—an unexpected twist, a side character with teeth—to break up the monotony. By the time the “six months later” epilogue arrived, it felt less like a natural conclusion and more like a last minute attempt to figure out how to wrap things up.
And that epilogue introduces its own head scratchers. Blair’s mother suddenly believes she can retire because her daughter has written a book that is being independently published, and decides to sell the stores. She also appears to have no idea how to run the business she has worked at for fifteen years. Who was scheduling employees while Lottie was dying? How did the shops function? These are the kinds of logic gaps that should have been caught long before publication. The book is free of spice and strong language. Though marketed as new adult, it reads much closer to young adult, aiming for readers looking for a gentler, simpler read, and who aren’t likely to question the mechanics too deeply.
Which brings me to the bigger question: how did this book land at number three on the NYT list? The answer is simple—sales volume, not literary merit. And now that the debut glow has worn off, I genuinely wonder how the author returns to her usual online presence. How does she critique or comment on books when she’s now on the other side of the equation?
Still, publishing a novel is no small feat, and congratulations are due. But once the shine fades and the novelty wears off, the real test begins: what comes next?
